There are many here that I admire for various reasons. Most here have skills of various types.

In my case, I have a wide selection of skills, however I lack the artistic ability/creativity for some items.

Take Matt’s leather work. I’ve made english bridles, repaired lots of items, have a nice selection of stamps etc.

To sketch something and carve it like he does from scratch I can’t do. I can go from a pattern, that’s my extent. So to see what he designs and makes, I can appreciate the artistic design, as well as the methods to make it.

The work that Jen is doing, I understand enough to know, that some of it is hours and hours of sweating over a hot forge and an anvil. I can see that work, and the quality, and appreciate it as well.

With time I’m sure a lot of us here could learn some of it, though I would never reach the level that she’s at. I would also struggle with coming up with nice designs and ‘attractive’ pieces like she does.

I’m glad that she is at a point that the farrier work pays the bills, and her smithing, for lack of a better term, is now a hobby. I sense she enjoys it, maybe more so now that it’s not the way to put bread on the table. And we get to live vicariously through her posts, pictures and videos.

I don't have a youtube channel yet. It is something I am considering, but so far the thought of the time and equipment necessary to do it right tells me it would take a lot away from my other work.
I am looking over the social media stuff and considering trying to market some stuff with facebook's program. The Etsy thing is pretty much a flop. They don't actually police their listings for them really being handmade and my stuff seems to be buried in their search engines.
I need to do better marketing myself, but I am also wrapped up in horse training and helping some farmers and I find myself so busy I can't keep my head above water, and then a week later everything drops off and I have 3 days in the shop with no real plans. So I make something, take some pics and put it online and then don't have time to think about it for a week.
My posts in this thread stem from my thinking about this very issue and how to sell my work better the last couple weeks. When I was in college I sold a lot of knives online, even to people overseas, and I didn't sweat the money as long as I made a profit. It was really just a way to fund my hobby. Now that I have to figure out how to pay the bills, I don't make many knives to sell. There are other things I can make that are easier to sell, or pay better for the time involved. I also found that making something to order, took a lot of the fun out it. I had a few hunting knife patterns that got to be pretty popular and even though it was a knife I really liked, I didn't like making it 5 times. the leather work can be the same way but at least with it I rarely use the same tooling pattern twice. Making a living with your hands can be a bitch, but its very rewarding at times too.

I don't have a youtube channel yet. It is something I am considering, .....

I am looking over the social media stuff and considering trying to market some stuff......

I need to do better marketing myself, but I am also wrapped up in horse training and helping......

Making a living with your hands can be a bitch, but its very rewarding at times too.

Have you given any thought about having one of those younger folks, that you help, to help you with the online, social media aspect of sales?
If you got a couple of the younger ones to set it up and do most of the work, with you only being involved as the final 'go ahead' guy, it would be a good experience for them and maybe get you more exposure in the market, without taking too much of your time.

__________________
"I was raised with you do things because its what you should do. I never expected anything in return."
-----DozerDan

I wanted a new kitchen knife and i had been wanting to make one out of bicycle chain..

The chain had been hanging out in the trailer for about a year so I finally got round to it as a demo at the Bolton Fair 2 weekends ago..

It came out pretty good..

I think it's safe to say that it turned out a bit better than 'pretty good'...

You've been working on your understatements, that is a good one..

I love everything about that blade, the shape, the grind, all of it. The handle is pretty dang awesome too. Those pins are exquisite...
Your knife is almost exactly the shape of my favorite knife here at home... I use that one almost every day, when I'm in the kitchen.
My favorite belt knife when I'm out goofin off is my ColdSteel Recon Scout. It's pretty badass, I'm rather fond of it